by Janice Edgerly-Rooks, Amy Shachter and Wynn Calder
Campus administrators and faculty across the country are realizing
the educational and economic value of "campus greening."
Many administrators have established clear environmental campus
policies in an effort to recognize the economic value of green
institutional operations and to respond to the need for adopting
sustainable practices. Faculty and students have contributed to
the green movement by integrating the physical campus into the
educational process. At many institutions, students have led efforts
to implement environmentally friendly, and in some cases, economically
sensible practices particularly in the areas of energy conservation
and waste management. Faculty and students have worked together
on class projects and independent research to contribute to the
"greening" movement.
Many institutions have a legacy of environmental consciousness
that began in the early 1970s. At Santa Clara University (SCU),
in Santa Clara, California, "greening" has occurred
more recently with the start of an Environmental Studies program
in 1992 and a Campus Environmental Assessment in 1995. A strong
driving force for "greening" of the campus has been
student and faculty interest manifested primarily as course-based
campus projects. This article discusses some outcomes of environmental
research conducted by students and faculty in chemistry, biology
and anthropology. Some avenues are suggested for enhancing the
research experience and for incorporating significant findings
into the University's modus operandus.
Research and Learning Outcomes
As a visiting scholar, Al Fritsch, SJ, of Appalachia-Science
in the Public Interest, conducted a preliminary Campus Environmental
Assessment (CEA) at SCU in Fall 1995. The CEA produced a series
of recommendations for future study with particular emphasis on
ten areas of special concern including waste management, energy
conservation, wildlife resources, land use, water conservation
and food services. Campus environmental research related to the
CEA has been conducted in several courses including Chemistry
1, a non-science majors environmental chemistry course, and in
an Independent Study Research course. Since 1995, specific projects
have included:
- survey of campus bird populations especially focusing on their
relationship to specific plants and gardens
- development of a Native Species Garden and of educational
materials describing the natural and cultural history of native
Californian plants
- development of a Community Garden utilizing composting techniques
for yard waste and yielding produce for donation to local community
centers
- evaluation of indoor air quality involving testing for pollutants
in areas near copy machines or where complaints of poor air
quality had originated
- investigation of the efficacy of solar energy and of options
for incorporating passive solar systems in new campus buildings
- investigation of air quality in campus photography labs and
an evaluation of the potential for waste recycling
- investigation of handling of hazardous materials in the sciences
including an evaluation of spill preparedness, radioactive isotope
storage, and inventory methods
Chemistry professor Amy Shachter notes that ongoing projects
include topics such as electricity deregulation and SCU. A group
of students explored electricity use by the campus and investigated
the source of campus power. It turned out that the University's
present electricity provider supplies a proportion of power generated
by wind, a renewable energy source. SCU will have a choice in
the next year to change power providers. Thus further study of
the economics of changing providers, as well as the ethics of
choosing or not choosing more "green power" is needed.
Another project involves reclaimed water at SCU. Since water scarcity
is of great concern in California, the use of reclaimed water
from the local sewage treatment facility for watering lawns and
landscaping will be implemented on campus in the next year. A
student group is determining the chemical attributes of reclaimed
water and the problems associated with using such water on landscape
plants.
Anthropologists have been key players in on-campus environmental
research as well. When anthropology professor Russell Skowronek
came to SCU in 1991 he developed an intense interest in bringing
the University's history as a former Franciscan mission site to
his teaching and research. Dr. Skowronek used the mission as the
basis for learning about how cultures interact with one another
and change the natural environment. With the original mission
came domesticated animals, the ensuing destruction of native vegetation,
new plants brought by immigrants, and the burning of trees for
energy to make tile and brick for the buildings. The effects of
these activities on the environment over time, says Skowronek,
were "utterly devastating. Mission Santa Clara was ground
zero for Silicon Valley," he adds. "It laid the groundwork
for what happened two centuries later."
A lasting outcome of Skowronek's work in this area is the Research
Manuscript Series on the Cultural and Natural History of Santa
Clara - the result of student, professor and independent scholarly
research. He has edited nine volumes since 1994, most of which
have focused on the cultural ecology of the region, including
topics such as the oak woodlands, the riparian zone, medicinal
plants and how different cultures have viewed their environment.
Students have worked with original documents from the mission
as well as collections housed in the SCU Archaeology Research
Lab. Intersecting with work in chemistry and biology, Dr. Skowronek
has supported including signage in the Native Plant Garden that
describes indigenous peoples' interactions with plants and animals.
Beyond the Campus
Students in environmental studies also have opportunities to
expand their research experience at sites remote from campus.
In 1998, twelve natural and social science students learned basic
interdisciplinary, environmental research skills in a quarter-long
seminar course during the academic year and then participated
in a summer research program in Trinidad and Tobago. Biology professor
Janice Edgerly-Rooks and anthropology/sociology professor Margaret
Graham coordinated the research methods course and summer research
program.
While in a fishing village in Tobago, students assessed local
villagers' environmental knowledge to help the local non-profit
organization, Environment Tobago, develop an environmental education
program. On neighboring Little Tobago, four biology students tested
methods for surveying biodiversity; these methods will become
part of a larger project as Environment Tobago seeks to census
biodiversity on the entire island of Tobago. Research was also
conducted in Trinidad, where students performed a bird and ethnobotany
survey at a site soon to be developed for ecotourists. The anthropology
students, in the meantime, addressed social concerns facing members
of the rainforest community as they confront the new industry
of tourism. The student work was so impressive that local officials
on Tobago are hoping to give it broader public circulation and
a professor at the University of West Indies at St. Augustine
has shown an interest in publishing the student bird census paper.
The Trinidad and Tobago research program has become a paradigm
of environmental studies and community outreach. In the near future,
students will help the Trinidadian non-profit environmental group,
Paria Springs Trust, establish a model of permaculture and sustainable
development in the rainforest. SCU's International Programs and
Environmental Studies Program sponsored the Trinidad and Tobago
program.
Outcomes: Quantitative and Qualitative
Through their research experience, students gain some level of
mastery regarding specific content and learn basic methods. They
review previous work on campus, obtain information on similar
issues at other campuses, gather information through interviews
and available documents, and analyze and interpret results. For
group projects, leadership and group dynamics skills begin to
emerge. Furthermore, students must learn how to present results
in various types of written reports and in poster presentations.
Although many projects begin as scientific research, due to the
complexity of environmental issues, students learn that ethical,
social, and economic relationships are often key to the success
of their project. Students doing research on campus must develop
relationships with staff and administrators to obtain information
and gain an understanding of how the university operates. In establishing
those connections, students learn the complexities of operations
and develop sensitivity to the roles staff and administrators
play in defining daily campus functions. Finally, students gain
a sense of ownership and a connectedness to the campus. Participating
in campus-based projects forces students to realize that they
are stakeholders, along with the faculty and staff, in the "greening
of the campus." Ultimately, it is hoped that students recognize
they are environmental stakeholders in any place they choose to
live.
Enhancing Research Experience
Faculty can use the environmental studies curriculum (multidisciplinary
by its nature) as a template for developing a program of instruction
for conducting research. Clearly, guidance from colleagues in
diverse fields is required for faculty to become more effective
mentors for the environmental studies students. Workshops focused
on the ethical dimensions of multidisciplinary research, such
as those offered by SCU's Markkula Center of Applied Ethics, can
be helpful. In these workshops, students and faculty address questions
concerning interpersonal relationships before and concurrent with
their research.
Students can also benefit from guidance about the various ways
of gathering information from staff members without appearing
as "rabid environmentalists." Serious, open-minded and
fair environmental fact-finding can be rewarding for the interviewer
(the student) and interviewee if mutual respect can be established
at the outset of the interaction. The risk of bias when collecting
and interpreting data is also a lesson easily revealed if students
make errors of interpretation because of bias for environmental,
or against economic, concerns. Faculty and students alike need
to be wary of biases that creep in because of their pro-environmental
attitudes. Maintaining lines of communication with faculty from
diverse fields on campus can help one stay aware of these potential
problems.
Implementing Change
Disseminating the results and recommendations of course-based
projects is as important as conducting the research. Implementing
a set of recommendations for "greening the campus" has
proven to be one of the more difficult and most rewarding aspects
of conducting environmental research. An initial step towards
implementation is sharing the results with the University community.
Several avenues for publicly presenting research results have
been adopted at SCU: campus-wide symposia and poster sessions,
and student-authored articles for an environmental newsletter
and the student newspaper.
Direct contact with administrators through the symposia and poster
sessions can lead to policy changes. More often, a greater effort
- beyond the time limits imposed by the quarter or semester system
- is necessary to implement "greening." A student-controlled
mechanism is to work within the Santa Clara Community Action Program
(SCCAP) which, for example, has helped secure the Community Garden.
Another powerful mechanism is the recently formed University Environmental
Coordinating Committee. This committee is composed of faculty,
staff and students and is designed to shepherd the recommendations
of environmental projects through university channels.
Conclusion
Course-based environmental research projects are a template for
a multidisciplinary environmental studies program. Research students
learn basic research methods and develop problem-solving skills
necessary for investigating and solving multifaceted, environmental
problems. Students also gain leadership skills, learn to recognize
and evaluate ethical dilemmas and different points of view, and
promote informed environmental action. Faculty are also empowered,
as multidisciplinary support grows, to design and conduct further
environmental research and urge their colleagues, both faculty
and administrative, to push for campus action and institutionalization
of positive environmental practices. Furthermore, connecting campus-based
courses and research efforts beyond the campus serves as an excellent
means of supporting and fostering community action.
Janice Edgerly-Rooks is an Associate Professor of Biology
and Amy Shachter is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Santa
Clara University. They are also active in the SCU Environmental
Studies Program. Dr. Edgerly-Rooks can be reached at jedgerlyrooks@scu.edu;
Dr. Shachter can be reached at ashachter@scu.edu. Wynn Calder
coordinates outreach and membership and edits The Declaration
for ULSF.
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